Hickory Dickory Dock...

   Don't forget to change back your clock 

November 2nd! 

This is also a great time to change batteries in your smoke detectors! 

How to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Winter is coming, and with it comes the hazards of cold and some home owner tasks. Here is just a small list of items that you will want to do before the first snow falls. 

• Take the snow blower out of storage and be sure to have it serviced
• Check for extra gloves, hats, snow shovels
• Drain outside houses and cover faucets 
• Have your furnace inspected
• Have your fireplace cleaned and inspected
• Check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
• Check and clean gutters and inspect chimney
• If needed, add additional insulation to walls 
• Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows
• Install storm doors and cover windows with plastic from the inside
• Insulate any water lines that run along outer walls
• Install easy-to-read outdoor thermometer. 

If finding a new home is on your winter to do list, contact me today. We can have you home for the holidays. 

INCREASE YOUR MOOD BY BRINGING NATURE INTO YOUR HOME

Did you know that flowers can boost our moods and can help reduce stress?  To see what all the hype is about, start with some easy ways to surround yourself with fresh blooms, plants and nature. Here are some simple and cost-effective ways to bring more nature into your home.

Start a Container Garden

Whether you're short on space, or just want to infuse more greenery and flowers around the house, you could start planting a container garden. Grab an old wine crate and line it with newspaper or burlap before planting herbs, lettuce or your favorite flowers. Place your plants in the window or on the deck or rooftop apartment.

Plant Blossoms for Butterflies

Head to your backyard or rooftop garden and plant a garden with butterflies in mind. Choose flowering plants and blooms native to your geographic region, to help butterflies get the nectar and foliage required to blossom into adults. Color matters to butterflies, much like humans. They're usually attracted to red, yellow, pink, purple and red. To keep butterflies around, stagger your plants so that when one stops blooming, another one starts.

Create a Greenhouse

It doesn’t take much space or supplies to put together a small greenhouse. Buy a kit at your local hardware store, or you can always make one yourself. Use PVC pipes and clear plastic sheeting and place it in a well lit room. Put glass shelves in a window frame and place your plants on the shelves for a simple and easy-to-remove greenhouse.

Build a Home for Bees

Another idea you could do is to plant a garden for bees, similar to how you can create a garden for butterflies. To create a space with clean water in a shallow container with pebbles for bees to land and drink when thirsty. Like your butterfly garden, pick native flowers and also select single flower tops like marigolds. Double flowers are harder for bees to draw pollen. Designate an area of your garden in a brightly lit spot for bee burrowing with extra soil. But not all bees like to nest in the ground. Pile pieces of wood and bamboo sections for your wood nesting bee friends.

Start Composting

Now that you’ve brought more green and colorful blooms into your home, what should you do with them once they die? Start a compost bin and throw in your old stems, blooms and leaves along with discarded fruit, coffee grounds and grass clippings among others. Use the compost to add to your gardens and indoor plants and watch them flourish.

Stage your home, including the garage!

"The garage can become sort of an after-thought when putting your home on the market, these days it really shouldn't be. More often than not, these days, the garage can be a pivotal point for buyers. Buyers look beyond the garage as something to park cars, they can double as home gyms, storage space, home offices, workshops.

We have all the home listings where sellers simply use the garage to store all their stuff that they plan to take with them or get rid of. While that might be convenient for the current homeowners, it's not very enticing for potential new buyers. If buyers can barely walk into the garage, they'll likely skip it entirely and may feel a bit cheated.

Square footage counts and many people have plans to use that extra garage space for things you might not have thought of. A good-looking garage will attract buyers.

Do what you can to improve your garage but start with the basics. If your garage door is in shoddy shape, replace the hardware. Nothing worse than a buyer taking a look at your garage just as a spring breaks on the automatic garage door! Make sure to sweep out the garage as well. Taking the time to show that you take care of the garage, well also reflect on how well you take care of the rest of your home.

Then take a look around and see what things you can get off the floor and into shelves or cabinets in your garage. The less you have on the floor, the more spacious the garage will feel. If the new buyers have big cars, ample space for cars as well as storage space for household items will be very important.

A garage may not always be the main attraction like the kitchen or master bedroom, but it definitely has its own appeal especially when it's staged to sell."

Are you interested in buying or selling your home? Go ahead and contact me so we can get together and work on your real estate dreams. 

Team work makes the dream work! 

DIY Fall Decorating

Harvest table

An easy grouping of seasonal items and colors brings autumn to your tabletop.

Orange and white pumpkins plus yellow chrysanthemums in a sunny yellow container create an eye-catching centerpiece. Elevate some of the pumpkins for added flair. Go ahead and get creative with the fun fall colors. This is perfect for your next fall gathering. 

Six Fall Clean Up Tips for your home.

It’s time to get ready for winter with a thorough fall cleanup all around the outside of your home. 
Courtesy of True Value

Step 1: Keep Up on Lawn Maintenance

Keep mowing your lawn right up until the first frost, but try to keep the grass length longer than 2½" throughout the fall season. When you mow for the last time, use a mulching mower. The mulch will keep as much nitrogen as possible in the soil over the winter and into the spring. Don’t forget to check your lawn for weeds. Use a dandelion weeder to pop them out of the soil, and they won’t return in the spring.

 Step 2: Dethatch and Aerate Your Lawn

Thatch builds up when grass clippings are not chopped finely enough with a mulching mower or if excessive clippings are not removed after cutting. To prevent thatch from accumulating, rake your lawn after mowing. 

Lawn aeration in the fall will give you healthy grass in the spring. Aerating allows for greater movement of water, fertilizer and air. It also increases the speed of mulch decomposition and encourages deep root growth, so be sure to aerate before applying fertilizer.

Step 3: Plant in the Fall for Spring Blooms

For the best spring bloom of your garden, start planting bulbs now. Many common bulbs can be planted in fall, including tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Tubers such as daylilies and dahlias are also popular choices for the fall planting season. Use a blanket of compost or mulch several inches thick to cover your newly planted bulbs during the winter months. Fall is also the best time to plant cool-season grasses. Varieties such as perennial rye, bluegrass and fescue do well this time of year for filling bare spots. 

Step 4: Fertilize Your Lawn and Garden

It’s important to fertilize before the first frost. Experts at your local hardware store can fill you in on everything you need to know about lawn fertilization, including how to find the right fall fertilizer for your grass or flowerbeds. Take note not to fertilize roses, however, because this discourages winter growth and makes your roses more vulnerable to extreme temperatures and conditions.

Step 5: Prepare Your Deck or Patio

Wintry conditions can be hard on decks and patios, and any furniture on them. Remove patio furniture and store it in the garage or wherever there’s space. If that’s not an option, invest in furniture covers that are made to withstand the harsh winter weather. Before you store or cover anything, clean your furniture properly. Wipe each piece with damp cloths and dry with towels. 

Step 6: Clean and Repair Gutters

When the bulk of leaves have fallen for the season, check your gutters. Clogged gutters can damage your home and cause basement flooding when snow melts, so it’s important to clean your gutters before winter hits. Use a ladder to get onto the roof, and then remove leaves and twigs with gloved hands and/or a large scoop.  Use a hose to flush out the gutters after you’re done cleaning. With the hose running, you may find any leaks that need to be repaired.

DIY Tip of the Week:

DIY Tip of the Week: Getting creative with clutter. 

Do you ever just check your mail at home, maybe get a wedding invitation or great coupon for that handyman you've been meaning to call, but then get busy and sit down and it's forever lost (well until the coupon expires or the wedding RSVP deadline has passed). Why not creative with a way to keep that all organized. This cute idea is using a wooden shutter as a great way to hold mail, incoming mail, items that need to be mailed or even add a cute calendar for your weekly schedule or notes for the store. This can be a fun way to add color to your room as well as great message board so you're not forgetting those important pieces of mail. 

DIY of the Week:

DIY of the week: Get creative with board games. 

Do you and your family/friends like to get together for game night but don't always like having to get the games out from closet because of all the other items that the game board have to share a space with. 

Why not create these custom shadow boxes that hold your games and you can store your game pieces in a plastic bag behind the game board. I think this is a great way to add fun color and idea to your walls as well as make your favorite games a lot easier to get to. Here is how to create this creative custom board game. 

Photo found on Pinterest 

DIY of the Week

DIY of the Week: Take advantage of small spaces!

Do you have a small wall between bedrooms or in your hallway that you are just now sure what to do with? Why not create a Memory Corner, this can be a great way to show off those professional and even personal snapshots. You can be as creative as you want to be and it can be pretty inexpensive to create. The best part is how often you can change out your photos and be able to show off those great photos instead of keeping them in a photo album. 

Creating that Homework Haven

It's the beginning of September and most kids are back in school and over the first few days of introductions and instructions on how the school year process is going to go. Now the real school year begins, homework is going to start showing up in your child's backpack and thus the questions, How do I get my child to do their homework and how do I help them. We all know that hard work and dedication are keys to every student's success, but so is having the right environment to do homework. Children can truly benefit from working in a quiet haven away from distractions where they can be comfortable and productive.

According to Realty Times, You can help your child create a homework haven. All you need is a dedicated space that can be kept clean and organized, that is large enough to hold your child's projects, and that is out of the way of household traffic and other distractions. Sometimes this is a simple as a small desk in their room or maybe even a study or office space for them to use. 

 Start early

If your child learns good habits as soon as he or she is old enough to start getting homework, there's a greater chance of learning more, performing at a higher level and getting work completed more efficiently all the way through school.

Teach by example

Your own work-space should have the same characteristics that you want for your child -- a quiet, adequate, well-organized place to concentrate and get all tasks completed. If you have a study, it's a great place to keep your work-related electronics, supplies and storage. Keep your desk clean and organized and show your child that preparedness saves time. If a study or study desk isn't available, you may have to improvise and clear the kitchen table for a work-space. 

Homework space needs to be dedicated and away from televisions, phones, conversation and other distractions.Education.com suggests renovating a closet or building a nook on a stairway landing where your child can escape from noise and maintain focus. Simply remove the old contents and set up a good computer station, light, and space to spread books and materials.

Children enjoy having your company. You can coordinate your bill-paying, reading or other non-distracting activities with homework time, as well as make yourself available to assist.

Get organized

According to time management expert Dr. Donald Wetmore, an unorganized desk leads to a productivity loss of 1.5 hours per every eight hours, or almost 20% of working time wasted. Young children may not know where an assignment is if it's buried under other homework, and may miss turning in an important project. They'll also waste precious time if they can't keep one project separated from the next.

To organize your child's desk, make sure everything has its own place to go; homework papers need to go into a filing system for storage or easy retrieval for later study, craft materials like glue, scissors, etc. need their own cabinet, drawer or bin, and pencils, pens and paper need to be easily accessible and well-stocked at all times.

Put what's most important within the easiest reach, recommends Productivity501.com. That means your child should be able to instantly grab what he or she uses most often.

Scholastic.com says your child's homework haven needs to be large enough to spread out for projects and book reports while also being at a good height for comfortable studying. Good seating will come in handy; a chair with adjustable height can keep your child studying without worry.

Fall Time...Fall Time...Oh happy Fall time

The weather is changing, Starbucks has brought out the Pumpkin inspired drinks, so it can only mean one thing... It's (almost) Fall!!!!

Do you love to be creative during Fall, here are just a few ideas to spruce up your fall decorations. 

This Fall in a Jar  helps create a pretty fall scene with a terrarium bell jar or glass cake cover. Featuring mini pumpkins, a sprig of oak leaves on a bed of moss. 

This Golden Glow can be a great conversation piece. You can use the kernels, candy corn or some fall colored stones. 

These crafty gourds can be a fun family project, Make sure to start out with dried gourds in different sizes, you maybe able to find these at your local farmer's market. For crisp, sharp lines add tape around the area you want to be painted, paint with latex paint and let dry. Let everyone's imaginations go and most of all have fun. 

The HomeOwner's Yearly Checklist - August

So we all make list, whether it's for groceries, chores or even making sure we have everything for our perfect backyard party. We have to face it, we live on list. They might not always be written down on a piece of paper or in our notebooks, but they are always there. So why not make a checklist for your home. Below you will find a simple checklist of items you should take care of during the month of July that helps you take care of your home.  These list are something that I will start making every month for you to help you. So I guess you can check off your list, checking for your home checklist. :) 

• 1.       Have your carpets professionally cleaned
• 2.       Make sure to clean out your HVAC system, you can vacuum it out to help get all the summer      dust out.
• 3.       Go around and check all the interior and exterior door handles, make sure they are tight
• 4.       Water  Heater: Go ahead and remove any residue from the water heater, be sure to follow the guidelines in the manual for this.
• 5.       Electrical: Test and rest any and all of your ground fault circuit outlets as well as be sure to check any extension cords. 

DIY Idea For Your New Home

Moving into your first home or even a new home can sometimes be overwhelming in the beginning, but is also a very exciting time.  So why not do a fun way to remember your new home. I love the idea above where they had an extra key made, painted it a fun color and then framed it. To add a little bit more of creativeness to the key, they placed a map in the background! How clever is that. How cute would this be for a house-warming gift for friends or family. 

Six Ways Your Home Can Improve Your Mood

According to Realtytimes.com, for must of us the idea of being happy is tied into being comfortable, loved and the sense of security. Did you know you can create an environment of happiness in your home just by surrounding yourself with a few key things? Check out these six ways your home can improve your mood.

Come on, get happy!

1. Soft geometry

Soft geometry is one of the elements of "neuroarchitecture," a hot new field of design…using emerging research on how factors like light, space, and room layout affect physical and psychological well being. The premise is to consider how each feature of the architectural environment influences certain brain processes such as those involved in stress, emotion, and memory," said Oprah. "Soft geometry…is the use of curves instead of hard edges on counters, furniture, and cabinets to help nurture contentment and well-being. The reason has to do with your peripheral vision and is linked to a primitive part of the brain called the amygdala. Everything need not be rounded—that gets very tedious. But if the key pieces and places are curved, that makes the body relax.

2. Color

Certain colors are said to have the ability to make you hungry, relaxed, energetic, and, yes, happy. "One easy and effective way to change your moody outlook is to brighten up your life with color," said She Knows. "Research has proven how color therapy, or chromo therapy, is a natural way to lift your spirits."

Vibrant colors like yellow and orange "will fill a room with excitement and warmth... promote joy and laughter and also aid in improving focus. The more surrounded you are with rich colors, the happier you are! Pastel colors, such as lavender and pinks can help you manage stress because these soft, soothing colors foster calm feelings."

3. Light

Natural light is a known mood lifter. If your place is dark, think about ways to brighten it up. Sheer curtains instead of heavy draperies can filter in light, but if you need a more potent solution, try skylights. These Solatube skylights are an easy and more affordable option than a traditional skylight. Overhead lighting complemented by abundant task lighting can also help brighten up a room.

4. Texture

We are tactile people, and a combination of textures can also help our mood. "Slipping beneath a soft blanket or burying your toes in the sand evokes certain feelings," said Up Your Property Value. "Use texture in your decorating to achieve the same effect. A shag rug thrown over a hardwood floor is a surprising contrast for bare feet. The feel of chenille upholstery can be comforting, compared to something more formal, such as leather. Add texture to any wall with textured wallpaper or a faux-finish painting technique, and choose window treatments that reflect your desired mood as well. Some people like the crisp, clean lines of wooden blinds, while others prefer a billowing sheer curtain."

5. Pets

One of the quickest, most effective, and most satisfying ways to improve your mood at home is to add a pet. "Pets can be calming stress-fighters," said WebMD, and can also:

• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce stress
• Increase opportunities for social interaction
• Improve a baby's immune system

"Babies raised in families that have pets may be less likely to get allergies and asthma, some studies show," said Web MD. "It has to start early, ideally before a baby is six months old. Babies with dogs or cats at home have fewer colds and ear infections during their first year than babies living in pet-free homes, one study found."

6. The green stuff

Not ready to take care of a pet? How about a plant? "Houseplants are popular as decorating accents, bringing natural color to a room and softening hard corners. The biggest benefit, though, is your health," said Make It Better.

"Plants can reduce stress, clean the air, and help increase "oxygen for better breathing, which "can reduce drowsiness during the day, improve sleep at night and reduce the occurrence of headaches."

20 Quick Fixes You Can Do In Five Minutes

"Think cleaning up or fixing up your place is an all-day - or all-weekend - effort? Well, you might be right depending on how long it's been since you spruced it up. But if you've let a few things get away from you and are feeling overwhelmed by the whole thing, take a beat, and a breath. By cutting the overall effort into smaller pieces, you can make a serious effort seem, well, effortless.

Whether your house needs a top-to-bottom cleaning or you are just looking for a clever way to attack the little things that bother you, According this list of "20 Quick Fixes You Can Do In Five Minutes or Less" provided by Realtytimes.com can help turn you around.

1. Call an "Electricity Drill." Everyone in the family is assigned rooms to check for lights, TVs, and unattended computers left on. This is a great chore/check for smaller children in the home. 

2. Sweep your front steps and shake out your welcome mat.

3. Clean out a junk drawer. Do one a day and you'll have a cleaner, more organized kitchen in no time. If it's a job that'll take more than a few minutes per drawer, break it up into steps: 1) toss the trash; 2) file the papers; 3) split up the rest by family member and make them do the dirty work. Check out Real Simple for more junk drawer clean-out ideas.

4. Take a look at your filters. Dirty and disgusting? Put "Trip to Home Improvement Store" on your "To do" list. And actually do it.

5. Cut up some lemons and grind them up in your garbage disposal. It'll give your kitchen a fresh smell. If you also add put some ice cubes down the disposal and this will help sharpen the blades. 

6. Do a quick fridge clean out. Take quick inventory of any dairy that's past its "good by" date and toss spoiled produce. And don't forget to check the door for mayo that's been there since the last backyard bbq. 

7. Take a duster to your ceiling fans. They're nasty.

8. Play "Pick It Up" with your kids. Set the timer on your oven or phone for 60 seconds and race them to see who can pick up and put away more things. Inner Child Fun has some more ideas to inspire kids to clean.

9. Spritz your mirrors. They probably need it.

10. Spritz your windows. They definitely need it.

11. Comb your rug - a tight weave throw rug doesn't always respond well to a vacuum cleaner. Get down on the floor with a wire dog brush. It'll fluff up the fibers and make it look brand new.

12. Wipe down your flat screen. If you don't have the appropriate tool, the dust-free wipe you use for your eyeglasses will work just fine.

13. Check your light bulbs. Have one (or more) that's out? Swap it out and brighten up the place.

14. Now put light bulbs on your grocery list. Add batteries and anything else you always need when you don't have.

15. Run a baby wipe over your baseboards. It's a surprisingly good trick for making them look newly painted.

16. Spray your kitchen counters and your cooktop, paying extra attention to any caked-on areas. If you're watching TV, go back and have a seat while the cleaner does its thing. Get up and wipe them down during the next set of commercials.

17. Do the same thing in your shower. And your toilet.

18. Survey your kitchen. If there are small appliances you haven't used for a month, put them up to create more workspace.

19. Run a broom into dark corners of bedrooms and hallways. You might be surprised by the cobwebs hiding up there.

20. Make your pooch a fur appointment. A good grooming will reduce that rampant dog hair problem."

30 DIYS To Make Your Backyard Perfect for Summer

Summer is coming, or in the case of Omaha in the last few days, it’s here. Summer is the time in which everyone wants to enjoy in their own backyard in the beautiful days. Over the next 30 days I would like to share with you “30 DIY Ways To Make Your Backyard Awesome This Summer”. These amazing ideas will ensure that you can relax and enjoy the dog days of summer. According to Your Amazing Spaces, these tips and ideas will be sure to help you enjoy summer.

 Do you have those those kids, again both young and old that love to play outside in the mud and then decided to walk through your home and get it all nice and dirty and then you are off cleaning it all over again. What about a backyard shower to allow them to rinse off.  What do you think of this idea. 

30 DIY Ways to Make Your Backyard Perfect for Summer

Summer is coming, or in the case of Omaha in the last few days, it’s here. Summer is the time in which everyone wants to enjoy in their own backyard in the beautiful days. Over the next 30 days I would like to share with you “30 DIY Ways To Make Your Backyard Awesome This Summer”. These amazing ideas will ensure that you can relax and enjoy the dog days of summer. According to Your Amazing Spaces, these tips and ideas will be sure to help you enjoy summer.

How perfect is this little mini bar for your backyard, I think it would go perfect with the outdoor kitchen, we blogged about yesterday. This is the perfect drink station for backyard activities. You could make this out of cabinet or even an old mirror (you may want to remove the glass portion). What do you think? Can you see yourself toasting and cheering with your friends with this mini-bar 

30 DIY Ways to Make Your Backyard Perfect for Summer

Summer is coming, or in the case of Omaha in the last few days, it’s here. Summer is the time in which everyone wants to enjoy in their own backyard in the beautiful days. Over the next 30 days I would like to share with you “30 DIY Ways To Make Your Backyard Awesome This Summer”. These amazing ideas will ensure that you can relax and enjoy the dog days of summer. According to Your Amazing Spaces, these tips and ideas will be sure to help you enjoy summer.

Do you need a grill or want something that is a little less expensive than a grill, but gives you the option of an outdoor kitchen. Why not try and make this DIY cooktop. It works similar to a grill, but focuses more on the options of a burner system. It would be great to take for those camping trips as well. 

Summer is coming, or in the case of Omaha in the last few days, it’s here. Summer is the time in which everyone wants to enjoy in their own backyard in the beautiful days. Over the next 30 days I would like to share with you “30 DIY Ways To Make Your Backyard Awesome This Summer”. These amazing ideas will ensure that you can relax and enjoy the dog days of summer. According to Your Amazing Spaces, these tips and ideas will be sure to help you enjoy summer.

Do you have to include "bring your own chair" to your backyard BBQ's. Why not get creative with left over pallets, and build your own setting. The nice part about using pallets is they are fairly easy to design into your own shape and needs. They are also pretty weather resistant, which means no running outside to get your furniture covered before the big rain storm starts. Also you can create your own seating cushions, which once again makes this whole product, easy, very DIY and most of all FUN. 

30 DIY Ways to Make Your Backyard Perfect for Summer

Summer is coming, or in the case of Omaha in the last few days, it’s here. Summer is the time in which everyone wants to enjoy in their own backyard in the beautiful days. Over the next 30 days I would like to share with you “30 DIY Ways To Make Your Backyard Awesome This Summer”. These amazing ideas will ensure that you can relax and enjoy the dog days of summer. According to Your Amazing Spaces, these tips and ideas will be sure to help you enjoy summer.

How cute is this outdoor/upcycled/recycled Greenhouse? It is made out of older Storm windows. This is such a creative way to feature your plants when you have a smaller space. It would perfect for the corner of a deck or just off the patio.